Scorecard

Lisa Sthalekar and Kate Blackwell guided New South Wales Breakers to their ninth title in 11 years as the Breakers chased down Victoria Spirit’s 205 at Melbourne. Sthalekar, the captain, starred with 83 and Blackwell made an unbeaten 57 to earn New South Wales a 2-1 victory in the finals series and continue the team’s decade of dominance.The visitors were on track to rein in the target easily at 2 for 167 in the 41st over before Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Clea Smith sparked a mini-collapse of 5 for 20 within 23 balls to give Victoria hope. But Blackwell held firm as Smith and Fitzpatrick bowled out their ten overs and Victoria could not find the last few wickets.Fitzpatrick took 3 for 33 and finished with 13 dismissals from the three-matches, but the decider was all but wrenched out of Victoria’s grip by Sthalekar. Having struggled in the first two finals, Sthalekar stepped up to score 83 from 98 deliveries and her 115-run partnership with Blackwell set up the win.Mel Jones top-scored for the home side with 39 and the Spirit would have fancied their chances when they posted a challenging 7 for 205, but for the third time in a row the team batting second chased successfully. New South Wales, who scraped into the finals ahead of Queensland, completed an impressive turnaround after a poor start to earn back-to-back titles.

Kyle Mills, the New Zealand seamer, has been ruled out for up to 12 months with a knee tendon problem which requires surgery.He was a late call-up to New Zealand’s squad in Australia and played just one match, taking 1 for 72 at Perth against the hosts. However, his injury prevented him taking the field again as New Zealand missed out on a place in the finals.Mills has been unable to sleep for the past week and painkillers have been ineffective so going under the knife is the only option. “He’ll have an operation as soon as possible on a patella tendon,” John Bracewell, New Zealand’s coach, said as the team arrived back at Auckland airport.”It’s devastating news, really – both for Kyle and the team, and also for what’s been a two-year programme to build him into one of the leading bowlers in world cricket.””It’s been a hard decision for him but he says he’s only going to let down the team if he tries to struggle through the World Cup and can only play every so often.”Bracwell added that a replacement, who will play in the Chappell-Hadlee series which starts on February 16, will be named after consultation with Sir Richard Hadlee in his role as selection advisor.

The Essex allrounder, Ryan ten Doeschate, holds the key to Holland’s World Cup campaign, according to his coach at both international and county level, Ian Pont. ten Doeschate, who made four consecutive centuries in the 2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup including a career-best 259 not out, gives his side their best hope of a major upset, in a World Cup group that includes both Australia and South Africa.”Ryan is a world-class performer when he’s playing well,” said Pont. “He won games with his batting and fielding for Essex last year, and now his bowling is back on track he’s a real contender as one of the stars of the tournament.”We are targeting South Africa first,” added Pont, “not least since we have three players with SA connections. There’s a determination to get amongst them and make things difficult. Pressure is on them as new world No.1s and also after failing to get out of their group at the last World Cup, on home soil. I’ll be giving Essex signing Andre Nel some friendly stick too.”Apart from ten Doeschate, the Dutch also have Billy Stelling (Leicestershire) and Baz Zuiderent (Sussex) with county experience, plus new kid on the block, 17-year-old Alexei Kervezee who has signed a two-year deal at Worcestershire.Pont, one of the ECB National Skill Sets Coaches at Loughborough, said: “It will be a great experience for everyone associated with Netherlands cricket. But Ryan has the chance to show what he can do at the highest level of all. He’s one of those characters that thrives on challenges. And I wouldn’t put it past him to show his best against the best.”The squad fly out on Friday, March 2 from Gatwick for Kingston, where they meet India and Kenya in ODI warm-ups ahead of the group stages in St Kitts. Scotland completes the group.

Michael Clarke is showing growing maturity by taking advantage of the slow and flat Caribbean pitches as he closes on a World Cup average of 100. Clarke, who celebrated his 26th birthday on April 2, hit an unbeaten 55 against England on Sunday – it was his third half-century – to continue a tournament to remember.After five innings at No. 4 Clarke has scored 296 runs with a high of 93 not out and an average of 98.66. “There’s not much seam, not much swing by the time I get out there,” Clarke said, “so if I can’t make runs on wickets like that, I’ll never make them.”Despite his success, Clarke said it was the Australian openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist as well as Ricky Ponting who were proving crucial to his efforts. “It has certainly made my life easier,” he said. “And Andrew Symonds will have enjoyed spending a bit of time in the middle. It’s great to see him in a bit of form.”Clarke’s calculated approach on Sunday, on an Antiguan pitch which became slower as the match wore on, drew praise from the England coach Duncan Fletcher, who used him as an example in pacing an innings. Clarke took 42 balls to hit his first boundary and joined in a 112-run partnership with Ponting that lifted Australia from 2 for 89.”If you look at Michael Clarke he showed a lot of patience and that’s the key – show some patience and don’t panic, it’s important to build momentum slowly,” Fletcher said. “Sometimes you go in there and you can find the gaps but other times you have to work out which angles you can hit and which angles you can’t hit. But the longer you stay out there the easier it gets and Clarke showed it. When Ricky Ponting was batting freely Clarke was just occupying one end and slowly got himself into nick.”

Naved Latif and Sohail Tanvir struck centuries to complement Misbah-ul-Haq’s 175 and propelled Punjab to an imposing 576 for 9 declared on the second day at the National Stadium in Karachi. At stumps, Sind had moved on to 155 for 3, still trailing by 421 runs in the first innings.Punjab began the second day on 346 for 4 with captain Misbah on 157 and Latif on 54. Misbah, on 175, was the first wicket to fall with the score on 377. Latif was joined by Tanvir and together they added 106 for the sixth wicket. Latif was finally caught off Tahir Khan for 114.Tanvir marshaled the tail superbly and added another 93 runs with the last three batsmen. He finished on an unbeaten 124 and boosted Punjab to 576 for 9 before the declaration came. Anwar Ali was Sindh’s best bowler with 6 for 137 in 32 overs.Imran Farhat led Habib Bank Limited’s strong reply after Khan Research Laboratories were dismissed for 374 on the second day at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex. Farhat remained unbeaten on 109 at stumps as HBL finished on 204 for 3 at stumps.KRL were 277 for 5 overnight with Mohammad Wasim and Zulfiqar Jan at the crease. Both batsman got off to starts failed to convert them as Wasim fell for 40 and Jan for 42. Abdur Rauf stuck around for 46 and rallied with the tail to reach 374. Abdur Rehman was HBL’s most successful bowler with 4 for 110.Farhat gave HBL a superb start to their first innings as he formed the mainstay of a first-wicket stand of 94 with Taufeeq Umar. Saeed Amjal gave KRL two quick wickets but Hasan Raza and Farhat added another 68 for the third wicket. Aftab Alam and Farhat steered HBL to 204 for 3, still 170 adrift with seven wickets in hand.

The ECB has blocked Ian Harvey from playing as a non-overseas player because of a delay in the paperwork relating to his British Citizenship. His application is currently with the Home Office and legally he doesn’t qualify until the final documents have been completed.During the opening weeks of the season Harvey has been covering for the injured Travis Birt at Derbyshire, but now that Birt is ready to play Harvey will have to stand down until he is officially cleared. However, there was a similar situation with Ottis Gibson in 2004 when he was trying to join Leicestershire and the ECB allowed him to play despite his papers being stuck at the Home Office.Tom Sears, the Derbyshire chief executive, told the club website: “We are extremely disappointed with the ECB’s stance on this issue. Ian has played in this country since 1999, his wife is a British citizen, he has met all the criteria to qualify for British citizenship and completed the required fours years of residency.”He submitted his application for citizenship at the earliest opportunity but the ECB is still not allowing him to play even though they have in a previous case.”The ECB has said that Gibson had to wait longer than Harvey which is why his case was treated differently but Derbyshire are not happy with what they see as double standards.”The Home Office have said that Ian is entitled to live and work in this country but the ECB are saying he can only play as one of our two overseas players until he gets his citizenship.”The question I have asked of the ECB is if they can impose a limit on players given indefinite leave to remain, why can they not do the same with EU or Kolpak players? All these players have been told they have the right to work on this country but we can set limits on some and not others? It needs clarifying and sorting out quickly.”The club have said they will not be offering a legal challenge to the decision, which means that Harvey will remain on the sidelines for the near future. He has been in impressive form during early season with two centuries in the County Championship, where he currently averages 144.

The West Indies selectors today named the replacements for the West Indies B team, as well as a new captain and vice captain for the remainder of the Carib Beer Series.Shawn Findlay, from Jamaica, Austin Richards, Jr, from the Leeward Islands, and Patrick Brown and Ryan Austin from Barbados, are the four replacements. They come in for Denesh Ramdin, Lendl Simmons, Assad Fudadin and Mervin Matthew for the match against the Leeward Islands in Nevis, on January 23, 2004.Meanwhile, Jason Haynes has been named to take over the captaincy from Ramdin, who will be playing in the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. Haynes’s deputy will be Jason Bennett.The West Indies B team, fresh from their win over Kenya in the Carib Beer Cup, face Trinidad this weekend.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

The one-off game for the Friendship Cup between India and Pakistan at Glasgow – part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of independence for both India and Pakistan – was a victim of the poor weather that has lashed the United Kingdom over the past ten days. The 10.45am start was thwarted by persistent drizzle, and though there was an inspection at 2.00pm, the intermittent rain and slushy ground conditions meant that not even a 20-overs-a-side game was possible.India travelled to Glasgow after defeating South Africa in a three-match series at Belfast, while Pakistan haven’t played since they went up against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi in May. The two great rivals haven’t played each other since April last year, and unfortunately the weather meant that5000-odd fans who had bought tickets for the game went home disappointed.As for the teams, the interminable wait for play to start included a dressing-room meeting with Prince Charles, heir to the throne. Once that was over, they left for the hotel, India to ponder a series against England, and Pakistan more time off before they gather for the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

Andy Bichel has continued his outstanding county season with a six-wicket haul against Justin Langer’s Somerset side. Bichel, 36, was one of several old hands who starred in another rain-affected round of first-class matches, claiming 6 for 63 to give Essex the edge in their draw at Taunton.It was his best bowling performance in three matches this year for Essex, where he had already found form with the bat by striking centuries in each of his first two games. Bichel’s victims included Langer for 24 and Cameron White for 1 as Somerset were bundled out for 153. White also recorded his finest bowling figures this season, taking 4 for 28 in Essex’s first innings of 282.Spectators at Chester-le-Street could have been forgiven for thinking the Durham-Hampshire clash was a veterans’ benefit match. Hampshire had Shane Warne, 37, and Shaun Udal, 38, spinning in tandem while the danger bowlers for Durham were Ottis Gibson, 38, and Paul Wiseman, 37.Gibson was unquestionably the hero, becoming the 79th bowler in first-class cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings. He collected 10 for 47 to reduce Hampshire to 115 in the first innings and Warne could only manage 2 for 56 in reply as Durham set the visitors a near-impossible 359 for victory. Wiseman chipped away at Hampshire and took 5 for 65 but Warne had some impact with the bat, scoring 50 to help his side escape with a draw at 9 for 262.There was another draw at Headingley, and it was another old-timer who outshone his younger friends. Darren Gough, 36, led Yorkshire with 6 for 50 as Surrey were dismissed for 229. Gough’s team-mate Jason Gillespie – a spring-chicken at 32 – took 1 for 52. Earlier, Matthew Nicholson had grabbed 4 for 85 in Yorkshire’s 307.Travis Birt finally scored his first half-century of the year for Derbyshire in their draw with Glamorgan at Derby. Birt, who now averages 22.90 from seven matches, made a brisk 70 from 75 balls in the second innings as the home side chased 276 from no more than 46 overs.Robert Croft made the chase impossible when he rattled through the top order and finished with 6 for 44 but Derbyshire clung on and reached 9 for 195. Derbyshire’s Australian-dominated top order had been entertaining in the first innings, when Michael Dighton made 43 from 40 deliveries and Simon Katich posted 42 from 45.

Mahela Jayawardene acknowledged Bangladesh’s growing one-day prowess but warned that his team was determined to win the three-match series starting at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo on Friday at any cost.”We always respected Bangladesh whenever we played them in Test or ODIs, especially in ODIs where they can be a handful. They’ve shown that when we played them in Bangladesh. They beat us once,” Jayawardene said.”You can’t take the eye off the ball when you play them. We just have to make sure we play the best cricket possible and be consistent about our all round performance. The main thing is to win the series. It doesn’t matter how you win it,” he said.For this series Sri Lanka has rested Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan who have captured nearly 700 one-day wickets between them. Jayawardene said: “It’s a good opportunity for the others without Vaas and Murali. That’s how we look at it. Both of them have been great campaigners for us. What we try to do is try to manage them and give exposure to the other players.”Their absence is not going to put too much pressure on the rest of the bowlers. The amount of cricket guys like (Farveez) Maharoof, Dilhara (Fernando), Lasith (Malinga) and (Malinga) Bandara have played they know what it is all about. It’s a healthy atmosphere and competition that we’ve got,” Jayawardene said.”In the recent past I haven’t thrown the ball to Murali and Vaas at all because I know that guys like Lasith and Dilhara have picked up wickets whenever I had thrown the ball to them. It’s not a big issue for us.”The return of Sanath Jayasuriya, the most capped one-day cricketer, adds considerable strength to the batting. “Sanath is fresh and wants to play one-day cricket again. He has played well for Lancashire and he had some really good games. He is looking forward to the opportunity,” Jayawardene said.Sri Lanka delayed finalising their eleven because three of the players (Jayasuriya, Jehan Mubarak and Chamara Kapugedera) arrived from England only on Tuesday.Bangladesh, meanwhile, remain wary of playing the World Cup runners up, at home to boot. Shaun Williams, the coach, said: “If we are to beat Sri Lanka we need to play better than we did against them in the Test series.”We have quite a few new players who have come into the one-day team and one of them is Aftab Ahmed who played a fabulous knock to steer us to victory in the practice game on Wednesday,” Williams said.”We are confident of putting up a better performance. To do that our batting must click. I was disappointed with our top order in the practice match with the exception of Tamim Iqbal when we lost half the side for 100. But we showed we had the batting depth and we didn’t panic with Aftab leading the way at six,” he said.Aftab, who hit a run-a-ball 91in Bangladesh’s three-wicket win, will continue to bat at the same position. The second and third ODIs will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium on July 23 and 25.Sri Lanka (from): Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Chamara Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedera, Jehan Mubarak, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Malinga Bandara, Nuwan Kulasekera, Upul ChandanaBangladesh: Shariar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Thushar Imran, Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Shakib al Hassan, Aftab Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahim, Farhad Reza, Mashrafe Mortaza, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzak